Enchaînement or liaison? Compare elle arrive and les amis
Compare an existing /l/ in elle arrive with the linking /z/ in les amis. A short arrival scene and five questions make the difference clear.
In short
In elle arrive, the /l/ is already pronounced in elle: carrying it into the next syllable is enchaînement. In les amis, the /z/ appears only in the linked phrase: that is liaison. Ask whether the consonant is present when you say the first word alone.
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What is the difference between enchaînement and liaison?
elle → elle arriveshe → she is arriving
Focus: An existing consonant moves into the next syllable.
/ɛl/ → /ɛ.la.ʁiv/
Elle arrive à midi.
She is arriving at noon.
les → les amisthe → the friends
Focus: A normally silent final consonant becomes pronounced.
/le/ → /le.za.mi/
Les amis arrivent à midi.
The friends are arriving at noon.
The dots in these transcriptions separate syllables. They show why the spoken boundaries can differ from the spaces on the page. Elle arrive still contains two grammatical words, even though the /l/ begins the next spoken syllable.
| First word alone | In the phrase | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| avec · /avɛk/ | avec elle · /a.vɛ.kɛl/ | Existing /k/: enchaînement |
| une · /yn/ | une amie · /y.na.mi/ | Existing /n/: enchaînement |
| vous · /vu/ | vous avez · /vu.za.ve/ | Linking /z/: liaison |
| les · /le/ | les livres · /le livʁ/ | No /z/ before this consonant |
Two friends arrive for lunch
- Léa
Elle arrive ?
Is she arriving?
- Sam
Oui. Deux amis viennent avec elle.
Yes. Two friends are coming with her.
- Léa
Vous êtes ici pour le déjeuner ?
Are you here for lunch?
- Sam
Oui. Les amis attendent dehors.
Yes. The friends are waiting outside.
Can one phrase have both liaison and enchaînement?
Vous êtes ici.
You are here.
Vous êtes supplies /z/ by liaison; the /t/ of êtes then chains into ici.
Read the whole phrase as /vu.zɛ.ti.si/. The /t/ belongs to êtes /ɛt/ even when you say that word alone. Keep that /t/ as you continue into ici. There is no extra /z/ after êtes in this ordinary phrase.
A vowel can also follow another vowel directly. In Léa et Alice, et supplies no linking /t/. Smooth French speech includes this kind of vowel meeting too. The spelling of a final letter and a following vowel are only the start of the analysis.